SAN RAMON, Calif., Jan. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Clare Computer Solutions (Clare), a San Francisco Bay Area business technology service provider offering computer network support, IT consulting and on-demand IT services, is advising businesses to develop a plan to migrate from XP to Windows 7 or 8. Microsoft will no longer support the Windows XP operating system (OS) after April 8, 2014.

Clare can handle the migration planning, secure the licenses and perform the migration with minimal business activity disruption.

"Businesses may not realize the complexity of migrating to a new OS," says Brad Mendonsa, CEO of Clare Computer Solutions. "Because the migration involves detailed planning, creating a budget specific to a company's needs, testing, implementation and training, it's important for companies to begin now."

For some companies, such as those in the financial industry, there can be legal consequences if they continue using an unsupported system.

The lack of new security patches for Windows XP means newly developed malware can exploit the OS, opening the door to viruses and other malware.

Printers, scanners, and professional equipment compatible with Windows XP will no longer be made.

It will be expensive for a business to support an unsupported OS, and will get more expensive the longer the unsupported products are in service.

With April just three months away, Mendonsa advises businesses to stop waiting and to take action before it affects business productivity.

About Clare Computer Solutions

Clare Computer Solutions, incorporated in 1990, offers IT consulting services and IT network support with 24-hour monitoring for small and medium-sized businesses in Oakland, Fremont, Hayward, and all San Francisco Bay Area east bay cities.

Clare also provides IT solutions and network services including virtualization, storage, WAN/LAN design, implementation and management of computer networks, from small to complex multi-site solutions. Services also include data backup, data replication, IT disaster recovery and business continuity planning, 24-hour monitoring and support, cloud computing, IT consulting and strategy development to support business goals.

Clare is a major partner with industry-leading technology providers, including Microsoft, Cisco, VM Ware, Citrix and Hewlett-Packard.